Our Team
Meet the Founders
Tracey with Bella
Tracey Jackson Soucy
Co-Founder/Board President
Tracey (she/her) was born and raised in Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California. Tracey has felt a lifelong connection to animals. From childhood, Tracey couldn’t even imagine enjoying zoos, circuses, rodeos, horse races, dog races, fishing or hunting. She has always felt empathy for animals and has spent most of her life rescuing animals and raising awareness about animal cruelty. Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary is a dream come true for Tracey and she hopes to engage many people in the mission of LFAS.
She has always rescued homeless and “unwanted” dogs and cats, but once Tracey and her husband and Co-Founder, Bill, (married since 1989) decided to involve the public in their efforts to raise awareness about the plight of farmed animals they got their 501c3 in late 2014.
In early 2014 Tracey participated in the one week workshop ‘How To Start and Run An Animal Sanctuary’ at the amazing Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. This was a very inspiring and educational experience plus Tracey got to visit with the remarkable Best Friends Founders who have mentored Tracey and Bill since 2001.
Tracey happily went vegetarian in 1988 and her only regret is not becoming a vegan until 2013. She is passionate about raising awareness about animal abuse of any kind and has a particular passion for informing the public about the cruelties in the Animal Agribusiness industry. She is committed to informing people about what they are buying, and who they are eating, so people can make informed, more humane decisions.
Tracey has a B.S. in Social Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She has been a model, a flight attendant, worked many years in the stock brokerage industry, has been a real estate agent, owned and operated her own parking lot sweeping business, as well as her own design business.
And all along she has rescued and loved animals.
Bill with Jack Sparrow
Bill Soucy
Co-Founder/Board Treasurer
Director of Business Development
Bill (he/him) was born and raised near Boston, Massachusetts. He has 40 years of successful business experience in securities, telecommunications, consumer electronics and solar. Bill’s background in finance and sales are key attributes that have been of significant benefit in founding and building LFAS.
Bill has loved animals since he was 5 years old when he got his first rescue dog, Brownie. Bill’s love and kindness for all animals has continued to grow and evolve over the years, especially after teaming with Tracey to found Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Bill’s commitment to open an animal sanctuary is motivated by his desire to educate the public about the inhumane treatment of animals, especially farmed animals, to which he was once completely ignorant—just like most people.
Bill had an epiphany when he learned that dairy cows produce milk because they gave birth. The milk from mother cows is for their own babies- not for humans. The second part of Bill’s epiphany was when he learned most pigs are miserably crowded and confined in factory farms, they rarely if ever get to spend time in the sunlight, and their waste pollutes the land and water tables around these factory farms. Hence, Bill is committed to exposing the truth about factory farming.
Bill is very proud of his biological son, Justin, and his two granddaughters, Shelby and Taylor. They live in Florida but they love to visit Bill and Tracey and all of their animal friends at Loving Farm as much as possible. They are all a big help with farm chores and animal care! Bill and Tracey have been happily married since 1989 and Bill is very grateful for Tracey’s help raising Justin.
Bill has a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University.
Meet the Staff
Lane with LFAS family member, Pearl
Lane Stephens
Animal Care Giver
Michael Lane Stephens (he/him) has been a member of the Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary team since 2019. First as a passionate volunteer, and then as an Animal Caregiver as of 2022. Lane has been vegetarian since he was 12 and vegan since he was 16. After learning about the horrors of factory farming, he felt that it was his moral responsibility to stop contributing to the commodification of animals and their byproducts. Lane has always felt a deep connection with animals, the environment, and bringing about a positive change in the world. So going vegan was inevitable. Finding Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary was a life changing experience which allowed Lane to feel like he was making a difference, and giving back to the earth, by taking care of rescued animals. Outside of LFAS, Lane is an artist and an activist for the LGBT community. Since high school Lane has been involved with creating safe environments for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, and/or race. Lane is a Cuesta College graduate with two Associates Degrees in Anthropology and Studio Arts. He is pursuing a future as an artist combining his love of nature and all of its creatures with artistic expression. You can check out Lane’s artwork on Instagram @lanetothemoon.art.
Lydia with LFAS family member, Camilla
Lydia Stocker
Animal Care Giver
Hi, my name is Lydia Stocker! (she/her) I’m one of the Animal Caregivers at Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary. I have been vegan for nearly 7 years and I feel so lucky to be on the staff of LFAS. This is an organization that views animals as individuals who deserve to live long happy lives with their chosen families. I grew up with cats, and walked neighbors’ dogs, but I found my love for rescued farm animals in 2020 when I started volunteering at a farmed animal sanctuary near where I was living at the time. When I’m not working with animals, I love taking care of my house plants, traveling, hiking, baking, and cooking!
I graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in Environmental Management and Protection in March of 2021. I spent the next year saving up to travel around the US. In May of 2022 I hit the road in my self converted camper van to visit National Parks (I’ve been to over 40!) and to volunteer at farmed animal sanctuaries across the country. In May of 2023 I found myself right back in SLO county and was hired at LFAS! I am now back in school part-time taking prerequisites for veterinary school in hopes of working more on the medical side of animal rescue in the future. It is such a privilege to know and love animals that have been rescued from such horrific backgrounds. I strongly urge you to visit and/or volunteer at a farmed animal sanctuary near you!
Meet the Board of Directors
Teresa with Daphne and Percival in the Paso Robles Wine Country
Teresa J. Rhyne
Board Member/Secretary
Teresa (she/her) is a lawyer, animal lover, coffee addict, wine devotee, writer, vegan, avid reader, and breast cancer survivor, though definitely not in that order.
As a lawyer, she practices in estate planning, helping people plan for themselves and their family members (including the furry and feathered ones!) in the event of disability or death.
Teresa J. Rhyne is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “The Dog Lived (and So Will I),” a surprisingly hilarious memoir about her dog and her both surviving cancer. The sequel, “The Dogs Were Rescued (and So Was I)” won the Pat Santi Memorial award from the Dog Writers Association of America. Her newest book, “Poppy in the Wild: a lost dog, 1500 acres of wilderness and the dogged determination that brought her home” continues her tradition of writing humorously about tragedies that happen to her and her dogs. Tragedy plus time plus cute dogs equal heartfelt comedy. She splits her time between Riverside and Paso Robles, California, where she lives with her long-time partner, Chris, and their three rescue beagles.
Jeff with Winston at Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary
Jeff Hoffman
Board Member
Jeff (he/him) became more conscious about animals in the late 1980s when he attended UCLA and met his future husband Mick—a strict vegetarian for many years. Jeff was the household chef so he only made vegetarian meals at home, but he did not make the complete transition to veganism until much later.
Through the years Jeff had methodically stopped consuming all forms of meat and fish. Fast forward to the 2010s when Mick learned the painful truth about the egg and dairy industry from a friend. He went vegan overnight and they eliminated dairy and egg products from their home. Upon seeing the evidence Mick shared with him, Jeff agreed and soon after he also became vegan.
Jeff and Mick wanted to have a greater impact and so they started researching and supporting a handful of farmed animal sanctuaries. They have continued to support sanctuaries as well as other animal rights organizations.
Jeff and Mick enjoy the Central Coast and spent time visiting Mick’s father in Paso Robles. At the urging of their friend Jane, they attended a local vegfest where they met Tracey and Bill and learned about their amazing work at Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Jeff is now an avid supporter of LFAS and is consistently impressed by Tracey and Bill’s utmost devotion to their adopted family members. He cherishes the encounters he’s had with the residents of Loving Farm! He’s honored to have been asked to take on an official role on the Board and is excited to help them continue to thrive.
Jeff works full time as a Director of User Experience for a high tech company and he is devoted to the couples’ two vegan dogs, Dasher and Fenney. Jeff and Mick live in Los Angeles and are amazed at the growing number of local vegan businesses. They enjoy all the delicious vegan food and are lucky many vegan restaurants are within walking distance.
Meet the Advisory Board Members
Jennifer and Glacier
Jennifer Eisenmann
Advisory Board Member
Jen (she/her) has been an animal lover since she was a little girl. She has been volunteering with one of the local animal rescue shelters and is a member of the American Ethical Union, a movement focusing on human goodness and building ethical relationships with each other and the Earth. As such, Jen tirelessly promotes the idea of rescuing homeless companion animals instead of buying from breeders and is an advocate for preserving the environment, which includes eliminating factory farms and their cruel practices.
Paige and Ziva
Paige Powers
Advisory Board Member
Paige (she/her) is an innovative, dynamic, and tenacious professional with over 20 years of sales, channel, operations, and leadership experience. Paige is currently a Senior Director of Americas Distribution Sales at Juniper Networks.
Although Paige loves her job in technology her real passion is animals. She became involved with Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary in 2015, shortly after Loving Farm’s first pig Ziva was rescued. She has continued to be a strong supporter of all the wonderful animals at the Sanctuary!
As a firm believer in ‘Adopt Don’t Shop’, Paige has adopted 2 boxers from West Coast Boxer Rescue and is also the Adoption Coordinator Lead for West Coast Boxer Rescue currently.
Paige was born and raised in Washington state and has a B.A. in Business from University of Washington. She spent 25 years in California but in 2022 she moved to Idaho to be closer to her family. She is married to Jimmy Kough and proud mama to her canine children, Ruthie B and Zephyr.
Faith and Shade
Faith Maloney
Advisory Board Member
(In Memoriam) Faith was one of the co-founders of Best Friends Animal Society. In the early days, Faith started Dogtown at the Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. She spent many years in the direct care and feeding of the dogs as well as many of the other animals at the Sanctuary. Faith worked with people wanting to start and run their own animal sanctuaries or rescue programs through many of the workshops presented at the Sanctuary, as well as consulting with people all around the world wanting to help the animals in their communities.
Faith also wrote articles on animal issues and animal care for Best Friends magazine and other publications
Faith was born in England but has lived in the US since 1971. Prior to working with Best Friends, Faith was involved with animal care in a small private sanctuary in Pennsylvania, and with counseling and social work in New York and Chicago. She has three children. Her son is a veterinarian in Phoenix, Arizona. Her oldest daughter is a school teacher in Beaufort, South Carolina and her youngest daughter works at the sanctuary in administration. She has two grandchildren.
Faith was a vegan for over 20 years and believed this was an extension of her work in caring for all animals.